Birmingham mayor's race '79

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'Organization'
brought Arrington
commanding lead
Richard Arrington will be in a runoff for mayor Oct. 30.
It is a certainty.
From unofficial returns early today it was not possible to'
tell whether his opponent will be lawyer Frank Parsons or
Birmingham councilman John Katopodis. When the other
man in the runoff is decided. The News will conduct a
similar interview with him.
What kind of campaign will the runoff be? What brought
Arrington's candidacy this far? What kind of mayor would
he make?
News staff writer Richard Friedman sat down with
Arrington late Tuesday night to talk about :some of these
questions. Arrington. tucked away in an alcove at the Holiday Inn 20th Street, was relaxed and rested. Results had
quickly shown him with a commanding lead.
Here s some of what he had to say.
QUESTION: To what do you attribute your strong showing in the election. Dr. Arrington?
ARRINGTON: Well, I think it's two or three things. We
organized well. We didn't have the money. We didn't have
the paid staff. But we decided that the key to it was organization. So we organized particularly well in the black
community. We did not have the success we had hoped to
have in the white community so far as organization. We
found quite a few whites who were sympathetic ... but very
few of them who would join up and work with us in the
campaign organization. We hope "to change that now, with
the results of the election tonight. But, organization is number one. We tried to run a clean race. We really tried to keep
people talking about the issues as best we could because we
think that's what's important, and that's the image we want.
We tried to dispell any notion that we.believe Chat it was a .
doomsday tor the city if certain people won.
QUESTION: Let's talk for a moment on the hypothesis,
that Frank Parsons is going to be your opponent in the
runoff. What kind of race will you run? How do you feel?
What do vou ,sof f-oming up in term? of the next three weeks?
ARRINGTON: Well, I think if Frank is the candidate in
the rdnoff with me, he's going to continue to hammer on law
and order. It seems to me, at least the way I perceive him, is
that he was really perhaps the candidate, between him and
John (Katopodis), who were really hitting on the law and
order issue. So I would expect that.Frank will continue to do
that, and that doesn't bother me, because I think we have a
good platform on law and order. I think that what we've laid
out in terms of law and order is far superior to anything
Frank has laid out so far. I also think that the chance that we
can successfully implement a program with out experience .
. over the better part of eight years. I think makes us much
more likely to succeed in implementing any program. And
Frank is going to be starting from scratch as an elected
official. I think my experience puts me way ahead of him. I
think I have built certain bridges with people and that's
awfully important. I think, in trying to get a program
through in city hall.
QUESTION: What do you think attracted people to Parsons' candidacy?
ARRINGTON: I think the law and order thing, the conservative trend, and politics in this country right now. And I
think Frank tried to project that image. The law and order
endorsement helped him to get that image. There is some
debate about the FOP, where they are. But the FOP support.
I think, helped Frank Parsons.
QUESTION: Let's switch shoes for a minute and talk
about John (Katopodis). if he's your runoff opponent. What
kind of race would you perceive against him.
ARRINGTON: Well, here again, John has talked a lot
about law and order. He hasn't been quite as strong on it as
Frank has been. I expect he is going to continue to do that.
Here again, I am going to talk about my experience. I think
that in City Hall. I've been far more effective than John. I
think I know how to work with people. I think one of John's
shortcomings isTthat he often times is not able to build a
coalition he needs to get things done. He's lost on some key
appointments and again I just attribute that to the fact that
John has not yet developed that kind of finesse of working
with people. I'm going to be emphasizing my experience. I'm
going to be emphasizing my training, which I think is equal
or superior to that of John.
QUESTION: Of all the candidates that you could have
faced in the runoff, who was your preference?
ARRINGTON: I thought David Vann would be the toughest man as an opponent for me. I've been very confident that
I'd beat anybody else. I felt if Vann were able to make the
runoff, it would be a dog fight. And that's simply because my
strategy called upon picking up some white support. Most of
the places I've gotten white support from in the past have
been in areas where David has had support. And I feel that
with David out of the race. I'm going to pick up some of that,,
and that's going to make the difference in the campaign. I
think I can defeat John or Frank. I feel very confident of
that. David, it would have been 50-50. We would have just
gone out and it would have been a bare-.knuckle knock-down
drag-
Birmingham mayor's race '79
Councilman Ric.
ard Arrington fed
the field, but faces
runoff
QUESTION: Have you spoken to the mayor tonight since
the results came in?
ARRINGTON: David came up and spoke to me briefly as
I was leaving an earlier news conference tonight, around
10:30,10:45. He came up and congratulated me on the race I
had to run and he left. We didn't talk very much. David
apparently was a bit emotional at that time, and moved me
a bit because David is my friend and I'm a great admirer of
David Vann. We just shook hands and patted each other on
the shoulder and he made that statement and turned and—
ARRINGTON: Well. I think you may be able to look at
that way. If .you say that, you have to say I was response
for his winning (four years ago when Arrington eampaig
P^PPPPPP
1 Mjh*
Mayor's race leader Richard Arrington gets a congratulatory
for Vann). And. you know. I felt that if four years ago I
helped David to win, the people who believed in me when I
said they should support Vann, I believe that David owes
those people something. That's the way I look at politics. I
ran this time. I didn't think my supporters owed me ... I
think I owe them. When people elect you, I think I owe folks
something. So, I plan to win the seat... this race, no matter
who is in it. I just feel very confident about it.
QUESTION: Do you perceive a racist election?
ARRINGTON: No, 1 tell you. I don't think it is going to be
racist at all. I think we're going to ... of course, we're going
to-try to calm some fears in this town. That's really what I'm
going to do. I don't toot my horfxthat often, but I think in a
campaign is the time to do it, and the one thing I have great
confidence in is my own ability to work with people. I think a
lot of people who have a negative image of me ... in the
white communities, because they really don't know me.
They've got other people doing my PR that I didn't ask to do
it for me. And they have painted many times a very negative/!
image of me. I have found out when I have been able to gfj'
to people and sit and talk with people and so forth that ft
get along well. And I'm counting on that kind of ab;
which I have used in administration over the years tcAs
^m _ . (See Arrington, page 58)
58—3h<®inron$hatn:Nro* Wed., Oct. 10, 1979.
Arrington.
I (Continued from page 2)
me to bring together the city ... to keep it from splitting
apart. I was frankly a bit disappointed in the white vote that
I got in the unofficial returns. And I really want to win, and
I'm going to win, but I want to win with some white support
too. And I've said to people that's awfully important for
anybody going into office to say they've got support from
everywhere. And I'm going to work awfully hard on that
because the last thing I want to do is be the candidate to
come in here and split this city up. That's not what I want to
do.
QUESTION: You are perceived, rightly or wrongly, as a
critic of the police department. You have said your objection
is only to a small handful of men, not to the department But
how can you bridge that gap?
ARRINGTON: Well I'm going to work on it. First of all, I
think just the fact that I ran such a strong race tonight is
going to help. I had anticipated a meeting with the FOP as a
group. I got an invitation from at least the retired FOP
officers, and I had hoped to use that as an entree for a
meeting with the entire group, not that I thought I was going
to get their support, but I've been very concerned that
nobody in this town would think that I'm really a demon if I
win. That's why I've sought out the businessmen in this
community. I knew they were supporting David. I knew they
weren't going to give me any support, money or otherwise.
But it was important for me that they understand that I
intend to work with them and that I am interested in this
city, and I'm going to try to do what's right in this city. And
I'm not just some wild-eyed guy coming in here, with some
crazy plan that is going to destroy the city. I think people are
going to find now that I am going to be one of the easier
mayors to work with and to try to get things done in the city.
I want to sit down with some FOP representatives, whether
they support me or not. I assume they're going to support
Frank. But I'm going to have to work with them when I'm
mayor.
QUESTION: You have said you're objection is with
maybe 20 men out of 700 , let's say, (on the police force).
What would you do to deal with those 20 men? If elected, you
would have the power to fire them.
ARRINGTON: Well, what I am going to say, as I talk
with officers and so forth, is that I'm going to back them.
They've got a tough, dirty job. I want them to understand
that I understand that. I want them to know that I'm going to
back them. I feel I have backed them, but I mean as mayor
I'm going to back them. I am going to give them the benefit
of the doubt where there is doubt. I am going to expect them,
however, to be professionals. And I will expect their professionalism to be commensurate with the kind of authority
that the peopje of this city invest in them. I want them to
understand that. With that kind of communication, I hope to
avoid the necessity of having to discipline officers. But I
think we also know from the stands I have taken in the past
that I'm not going to accept anything less than professional
conduct. I am not a proponent of the idea that... the price
we have to pay for law enforcement is abuse of the bad. And
particularly when it comes from such a small group of men.
QUESTION: But specifically, what are you going to do
with that small group? You're not going to do anything
retroactively?
ARRINGTON: No. Oh, no. Only in this sense, and that is
that I'm going to be looking at the records of officers when
something comes up. I want to look at how they've perform
ed over a period of time. That's the only thing I'm going to
be doing. We start with a clean slate so to speak. I'm not about a black mayor'
going in to do anything but work with folks. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^*
QUESTION: One of the reasons that you decided to run
was unhappiness in the black community over the mayor's
handling of the Bonita Carter shooting, and specifically the
decision not to fire (Birmingham Police officer) George
Sands. Officer Sands is now seeking a disability pension
which hasn't been decided. Let's say for the sake of argument that you did take office and he still was connected with
the Birmingham Police Department. Would you fire him?
ARRINGTON: No, I think that would be very unfair at
this time. Had I been mayor when it came up ... I would
have dismissed him. But I think he's had a hearing. I think
the mayor made a decision on it, or somebody made a
decision on it. I think we've got to live with that decision. I
don't want to go back and open that one up at all. The only
decision I assume I'll have to make about George Sands, if
he comes back to the department, is whether he goes on the
streets or whether he gets placed in a different kind of job.
QUESTION: You, by your own admission, are a reserved
sort of person—a stuffed shirt. But tonight, certainly, must
be an emotional moment for you ... a moment rich with
symbolism, Birmingham having a serious possibility of it's
first black mayor, and you being that person. What thoughts
are going through your mind? How do you feel about that?
ARRINGTON: Well, I don't know. I don't want to sound
trite; you know there is a whole lot of emotion connected
with it. But I am humbled by it. I consider myself to be a
politician out of a different kind of mold than most of them.
I try to be responsive to people. I came out with the idea that
if the people who supported me—if I really worked for what
they wanted and took the stands even when it seemed
politically unpopular—that it would pay off. Those people
have proven me right. They stuck with me. This campaign
started and some people said the black vote, for example,
was going to be split. Then some of my friends in the
Progressive Council came out and saw fit to endorse David
and they are my friends, and we just differ right now. Some
people said this would be disastrous. I've got people who
really believe in me in this town. Most of them are black, but
there are some whites too. And that's awfully important to
QUESTION: Well, what you're saying is that the personal
tribute is equal or perhaps even greater than the symbolism
or the impact of being the first black mayor?
ARRINGTON: It is important to the city ... It is of
symbolic importance to black people because it is an indication of the fact that we continue to make progress and by
beginning to share the political leadership. That is important, and I don't want to underestimate the importance of it.
What is significant about it is that I am going to be a good
mayor who happens to be black. And I think that's going to
be the best contribution I can make in this city ... is to do
some good things in this city as mayor, and so the folks will
just say here is a man who happens to be black—who has
ability, who can get the work done, who knows how to work
with people. That's what is important to me.
QUESTION: You yourself have acknowledged that you
have your own brand of racism. In your campaign you
charged, for example, that Dr. Katopodis and Mayor Vann
were using coded racist messages. Two questions: Number
how will you deal with those feelings? And, number two,
how can you quell whatever fears white people may have
about a black mavor?
ARRINGTON: Well, as far as my own racial biases, I
just feel that we all have them. We are products of this
society. And we all have our racial biases. Coming from a
minority group, which has been sort of an underdog, I
recognize that we have them. But I've really tried to recognize them in terms of trying to deal with them, because I
thiik until you learn, until you recognize that you do have
yoir racial biases, you don't really begin to try to deal with
it. \nd that's what I try to do ... to begin to learn to accept
people, not only to understand people, even those who are
very biased racially ... I try to understand them and try to
havt some sort of communication with them... In fact, a lot
of m? supporters feel that my real weakness as a politician
is that I don't really get angry and give folks hell; that I tend
to becalm all the time, I'm always trying to analyze things
and b) dispassionate about them.
QUESTION: Let's say for the sake of argument that you
are elected. By numbers, you apparently are going to need at
least some white votes. Presumably there is going be a
whole body of the electorate for whatever reason who is not
going to vote against you. What are you going to say to quell
whatever resistance those people may have to you and the
notion of a black mayor?
ARRINGTON: I'm going to try to reassure them, and the
only other thing I can do is just work like the dickens and try
to be a good mayor. I'm going to be very concerned. One
thing I'm going to do is get out in the community. Had I won
tonight without a runoff, and that was a long shot... I think
what I would be doing right away is been going out trying to
meet some white community leaders right away, and to
establish some sort of rapport. I'm still going to do it. I still
expect to carry it now . . . some representative amount of
white votes, and that's going to be the basis that on trying to
built bridges with other whites and point out that 30 percent
nf tho. whitoo believe'':

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